But if they’ve spent time running a home and looking after a family it’s likely they will have developed organisational, management and planning skills that would put many business managers to shame.

Pam Bader, Chief Executive of leading domestic cleaning franchise Molly Maid, whose franchise owners are predominantly women, said: “I know many women who’ve reached a stage where they’ve always been a wife and a mother and forgotten there is also a ‘me’.

“A lot of women who are on their own find the challenge of starting a business very daunting, but they thrive in franchising because they get all the training and support they need to be successful.”

Molly Maid franchise owners come from all walks of life, and have plenty of energy, enthusiasm and commonsense, but typically no previous formal business experience, which is why the company puts so much emphasis on helping new owners every step of the way.

Pam Bader added: “I started over 20 years ago and the joy for me is seeing our owners growing in confidence, growing as people, running bigger and bigger businesses and earning more money than they ever dreamed of.’

To read the complete Molly Maid opportunity and to contact please click here